Among his accomplishments during the offseason, Kingston point guard Justin Robinson earned the title of MVG — Most Valuable GymRat — at the prestigious GymRat AAU Challenge in Albany.

Robinson also helped Team Mid-Hudson, a group of Section 9 all-stars, to the bronze medal at the Basketball Coaches Association of New York festival this summer.

For Robinson, a senior, all of his success in the offseason leads to this — Section 9 boys' basketball practices begin on Monday, the first leg in a march to the Section 9 championships.

"I'm very excited for the season and I'm very confident we can make a statement," said Robinson, a first-team Varsity845 All-Star last season who averaged 13.3 points, 7.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 steals last year.

For Robinson, his motivation this season is simple — Middletown, 58, Kingston 56. That was the score of last year's Section 9 Class AA championship. Once again, Kingston, Middletown and Newburgh Free Academy are expected to contend for the title.

"Thinking about that game, sometimes, it's hard to sleep," said Robinson, who plays for the AAU team BC Eagles. "We want to try to make it back this year and not be disappointed. Every time I touch the ball, I think about starting the season."

The most intriguing part of preseason camp is that it means so many different things to different teams. Early in November, coaches know who their stars are, but they watch over sessions to see if they can find another guy to step up.

Is there someone new who could hit a big shot with the pressure on, grab the must-have rebound in traffic, sink those two important free throws down the stretch? Newburgh guard Anthony Salmon started as a freshman for the Goldbacks last season. Still, he was a role player, and this year could be his time.

"I want to be a leader, I want to play my best and make my team better," said Salmon, who grew from 6-foot-1 to 6-3 during the offseason. "I want to make a name for myself. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm ready to step up."

After two weeks of practices, Section 9 teams begin scrimmages shortly after Thanksgiving. Non-league games are set to start in early December.

"This is my last year, so I'm excited," Cornwall guard Zack Bouton said. "We want to be good, we want to have chemistry. As one of the leaders, I want to try to make that happen. That's what camp is really for."